A good trick for getting a cooler smoke is to place your dry hookah Hose inside of the freezer 20 to 45 minutes before you smoke that way it's nice and cool when you smoke. We only recommend you try this with the Syrian and Cobra hoses though - Nammors are not designed for cold temperatures.

For a sweeter and perhaps more flavorful smoke, you can add some wine to the top two inches of the water in the base of your hookah. It's a happier smoke, and you can really taste the wine.

Mixing and matching flavors is a very fun thing to experiment when trying to create the ultimate flavor. Mixing "mint" with other flavors provides for a cool refreshing taste. If you think you have the best flavor then email us your concoction so we can share it with the world.

After you're done poking your holes in the foil, blow through the bottom of the bowl. This prevents any shisha from getting stuck in the small holes found on the bottom of your bowl and makes your hookah pull better.

Smoke Rings! Here is how to blow small rings (from the mouth) The secret to this method is to push the smoke in your mouth out with your tongue, while making the slightest inaudible puff from your lungs. This will push some of the smoke out, creating a ring. This method requires much more control in order not to push too much smoke out, as well as incredible tongue control. The overall experience should feel like you’re trying to swallow a walnut whole, by contracting your throat muscles to exhale a tiny puff of air.

Try putting 1/3 soda mixed with water and use "cola flavored" shisha tobacco. It really enhances the cola taste.

Try mixing lemon juice, orange juice, or some other flavor into the water in your glass base. It will enhance the taste of your hookah smoking experience. Also use fruit skins in the base for other added advantages.

Hookah Smoking Tricks

Try putting ice in the glass base of your hookah and get the water ice cold before smoking. This makes for a smoother more enjoyable smoking experience.

While some people smoke the hookah like one would smoke a cigar, others inhale the smoke. Neither way is more correct than the other - personal preference is what hookahs are all about!

When you first start smoking your hookah, try placing the charcoal on the outside of the bowl and working it around the edges of the bowl. The center of the bowl should be the last place your charcoal is placed.

Because of it's consistency, shisha tends to clump up. Before you pack the bowl, crumble it up in your fingers to spread it out throughout the bowl.

Once you get the bowl packed, take a square of aluminum foil from one of our hookah foil packs. Wrap the foil over the top so that the surface is tight. Use a toothpick or another small pointed implement to poke a bunch of tiny holes in the foil. Place the charcoal on the foil once the charcoal has thoroughly heated up and is covered by a fine layer of ash. Letting the coal burn some before placing it on the bowl will help prevent contamination by charcoal flavor.

When you place the foil tightly over the hookah bowl, make sure the shiny side is facing down so it will retain more heat from the charcoal.

It's good to always blow out the smoke that collects in the glass base every once in a while so the smoke does not become stale. This gets rid of some of the harsh flavor from the stale smoke, and is said to help remove a layer of carbon monoxide that is said to collect just above the water.

Take a piece of charcoal and split it into 2 pieces or 4 pieces and put them on the corners of your bowl to get a nice even burn. The more coals you use the more smoke you will get and the less coals you use the less smoke you will get. (note: don't use too much coal though because you start to get a harsh taste).

When packing your hookah bowl line the inside of the bowl with foil and then punch through the holes on the inside of the bowl. The foil lining prevents flavor from soaking into the clay bowl (not necessary for metal or glazed bowls).

If the smoke gets too "ashy or harsh" then possible take off some coal. If you're not getting enough smoke then add some coal.

More Hookah Smoking Tips

We suggested NOT running water through the hose unless it is sold as a washable hose. Simply blow air through the hose after/before each use to blow out the particles inside the hose to prolong your hose life.

If you're getting coal ash when you smoke then remove all the charcoals from the bowl and place them on the hookah tray. Pull the clay bowl off the hookah and hold it upside down and blow from underneath the bowl to push out the ash and build up in the bowl. You should see ash being cleared from the bowl. Then after a few blows through the bowl place the bowl back on the hookah and put the charcoals back on top and resume smoking.

It is recommended that you put the water in your base first before putting in the ice. It cools the smoke better and keeps your base from breaking.

If you have lost the ball bearing, you can make one by rolling a small piece of foil into a ball that fits perfectly (i.e. loosely (but not tightly) into the exhaust pipe compartment.

You can store your shisha tobacco at room temperature but it must remain in an airtight container (i.e. tupperware, jar, zip lock bag, etc.). This will keep your tobacco from drying up and losing its flavor.

Dry tobacco can be rejuvenated by marinating it with fruit preserves such as organic marmalade and jam and then refrigerating it for a few hours. You can also marinate fresh tobacco with jams just to mix flavors. Be careful not to overload the jam and mainly concentrate on the fruity bits.

When you realize that your tobacco is getting a little dry put a little honey (enough to fill a pen cap for every 2 bowls is a good amount) inside the tobacco and mix well with tongs or fingers. This will allow the tobacco to burn slower and not have a harsh taste that dry tobacco has. It STILL is better to buy fresh tobacco, but a good solution if you're in a bind.

If your bowl ever becomes loose when you are smoking, this is due to “shisha juice” or sometimes heat expansion that causes your hookah clay bowl to loose its seal. There is a quick and easy remedy for this: tear a 1 inch wide strip of napkin or paper tower and tightly wrap it around your bowl grommet, then place down the bowl over it. This will help to soak up moisture and keep you bowl fitting firmly and more air-tight. This is most helpful when fitting any “Mod, or Mini” hookah purchased from us that come with a Clay “Mod” Bowl and the thick white bowl grommet.

When fitting a hookah shaft to a replacement hookah base on your own it can be tricky achieving the perfect fit. So here are some methods getting the fit just right for you: If your hookah shaft and glass base grommet are a little too thick to fit into your replacement base you can shave the grommet down a little to thin it out. Now if your shaft and glass base grommet is not thick enough then take off the grommet and wrap electrical, duct, or even scotch tape around the shaft where it fits into the base. Then replace the glass bowl grommet over the tape (keeping the tape hidden) and add or remove tape as necessary to achieve a snug fit.

Also when fitting your shaft into the base, if it's a little snug and hard to get into the base, it's helpful to wet down the rubber grommet with water or oil for a smooth easy fit.

Here is a tip for all hookahs that feature an Autoseal system or a One-way Release valve that requires a small ball bearing. Here is a tip to help keep that ball bearing from sticking in the hookah shaft. Grease or oil your ball bearings for this will help prevent rust or corrosion down the road. Things like cooking oil and vegitable oil can be effective for this.

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hookah and hookah tobacco shop with the guaranteed best prices, highest quality products and most helpful customer service in the world. As the leading online hookah store in hookahs, hookah accessories and hookah parts we carry the widest variety and most popular flavors of shisha tobacco. Combine that with our price matching guarantee, speedy delivery and outstanding customer service and you can see why we are able to serve your hookah needs better than any company in the world.
*Hookah-Shisha.com only sells to adults who meet the minimum legal age requirement to purchase our products.

Texas Tobacco Tax

On September 1, 2009 Texas House Bill 2154 went into effect raising the Texas OTP (Other Tobacco Products) tax by 325% causing hookah tobacco sold in Texas to become the most expensive in the United States. Due to this unprecedented increase in taxes, Hookah-Shisha.com must charge the additional cost of these tobacco taxes.

To see the way Texas tobacco tax are calculated on your order, multiply the quantity of each size of tobacco by the rates listed below.